What were ancient Maya games like?

What games did the ancient Maya play?

An illustration of people playing pitz. Maya play with a ball on a court.

One of the most well known games played by the ancient Maya was a ball game called pitz.

It is more than 3000 years old and was very important in the Maya’s religious beliefs and society. It was played to keep the gods happy and to settle disagreements.

Although this ancient game was very different in many ways to modern sports, it did involve teams, courts and a ball - things we still see in sports today.

Watch: Maya ball games

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Find out about the ancient Maya ball game pitz.

Important words for the Maya civilisation

Keyword	Definition
Archaeologist	A person who digs up and studies artefacts to help understand the past.
Ancestor	A family member who lived a long time ago.
Court	An area where you play a game.
Mesoamerica	A large area which covered Central America and Mexico.
Ruins	The remains of buildings or cities after they have been damaged or destroyed.
Sacrifice	When people offer something valuable, such as food or an animal, to a god. In some past civilisations, this could even include a human life.

What was pitz?

One of the many things the ancient Maya are remembered for is their ball game, which they called pitz.

This game is more than 3,000 years old.
300 courts have been found, and they were in the shape of a capital ‘L’.

Maya ball courts

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Take a look at some of the different Maya ball courts from around the Maya world.
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This is a ball court located in Palenque. It was likely built between AD350-500, which means it is probably one of the oldest in existence.
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This is the ball court of Yaxchilan. It was originally decorated with five stone discs which showed images of ancient ancestors. Each ancestor was shown sitting on the head of a huge monster.
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This is the ball court in Copan. It was demolished and rebuilt three times, the latest version dating back to AD738.
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This ball court in Tikal is located right next to the towering Temple of the Great Jaguar. The court is one of the smallest in Maya history.
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This is the ‘Great Maya ball court’ in Chichén Itzá. It was completed in the 9th century and is one of the largest ball courts ever discovered (far bigger than a modern football pitch).

How did they play pitz?

The game lasted two weeks.

They used a rubber ball which was not meant to touch the ground.

The aim of the game was to get the ball to the other side of the court or to make the other team drop the ball.

Why did they play pitz?

The ball game was not played for enjoyment. The main reason was to keep the gods happy. People believed that the game was played instead of going to war.

Human sacrifice was probably part of the games, with perhaps the losing captain or captured kings sacrificed to the gods.

Ball games today are a lot less deadly, but they do have some things in common with the Maya ball game. For example, the Maya players had to work together as a team.

How do we know the Maya played pitz?

A big ancient stone court with very tall walls on both sides. There is a small temple-like building at the far end, — Image caption,
Maya ball games like pitz were played on big stone courts.

Archaeologists have discovered more than 1500 ball courts of different sizes across Mesoamerica.

These ruins have helped them to understand the Maya ancient ball game Pitz.

Other clues, such as ceramic figures and decorated pottery, have also helped archaeologists understand what the Maya ball game was and why it was played.

All of these clues help archaeologists see the bigger picture and understand why it was so important in Maya society.

Think like a historian

Light blue thought bubble that says Thinking Points!

Have a look at the thinking points below and think about your answer to each question. You could even write them down on a piece of paper or discuss them with somebody else if you want to.

Why do you think playing the game of pitz was a very serious activity for the Maya?
Why do you think the Maya built so many different-sized ball courts across Mesoamerica?
Now you know the Maya game involved teams and was played with a ball, what other sports can you think of that share these features?